How to Tell if Google Analytics is on a Page

Verifying that Google Analytics is properly installed on a webpage is a critical first step for any data-driven task, from checking your own site's setup to auditing a new client's digital presence. This guide will walk you through several straightforward methods to confirm if Google Analytics tracking code is active on any page, ranging from a quick visual check to a look under the hood.

Method 1: Check the Page’s Source Code

The most direct way to check for a Google Analytics tag is to look at the website’s raw HTML source code. Every browser makes this easy to do. While it sounds technical, you’re only looking for a specific snippet of text, which is a simple copy-and-paste-level task.

How to View the Page Source

• On Google Chrome: Right-click anywhere on the page and select "View Page Source." Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+U (on Windows) or Cmd+Option+U (on Mac).
• On Mozilla Firefox: Right-click on the page and choose "View Page Source." The shortcut is Ctrl+U (on Windows) or Cmd+U (on Mac).
• On Safari: You first need to enable the Develop menu. Go to Safari > Preferences > Advanced and check the box that says "Show Develop menu in menu bar." Once enabled, you can right-click on a page and select "Show Page Source," or use the shortcut Cmd+Option+U.

What to Look For

Once you have the source code open in a new tab, you don't need to read through it all. Just use your browser's find function (Ctrl+F on Windows or Cmd+F on Mac) and search for one of the following snippets.

For Google Analytics 4:

Search for "gtag.js". This is the script for the current version of Google Analytics. The code snippet will look something like this:

<!-- Google tag (gtag.js) -->
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-XXXXXXXXXX"></script>
<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [],
  function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments),}
  gtag('js', new Date()),

  gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXXXXXX'),
</script>

The key identifier here is the Measurement ID, which starts with "G-". If you find this script, Google Analytics 4 is installed on the page.

For Old Universal Analytics (UA):

Though outdated, many sites still have the older Universal Analytics code. Search for "analytics.js". The snippet typically looks like this:

<!-- Google Analytics -->
<script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r,i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date(),a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0],a.async=1,a.src=g,m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'),

  ga('create', 'UA-XXXXXXXX-X', 'auto'),
  ga('send', 'pageview'),
</script>

Here, you're looking for a Tracking ID that starts with "UA-". If you find either of these snippets, you've confirmed the presence of a Google Analytics tag.

Method 2: Use Browser Developer Tools

For a more dynamic and definitive check, browser developer tools (or "dev tools") are your best friend. This method not only confirms if the code exists on the page but also tells you if it's successfully sending data to Google's servers. This is perfect for troubleshooting issues where the code is installed but not recording any traffic.

How to Open Developer Tools

In most browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge), you can open these tools by right-clicking anywhere on the page and choosing “Inspect” or by pressing the F12 key.

Using the Network Tab

• The Network tab shows all the individual requests a browser makes to load a webpage, including scripts, images, and - most importantly - tracking pixels.
• With Developer Tools open, click on the "Network" tab.
• In the filter or search box within the Network tab, type: “collect”.
• Refresh the page (F5, or Ctrl+R / Cmd+R).
• As the page loads, you’ll see requests populating the list. Look for a request that has "google-analytics.com" or "analytics.google.com" in the name.

If you see a request to Google Analytics with a "200" or "204" status code, it means the browser successfully sent tracking data. If you see it but it's red, an ad blocker or privacy setting might be preventing it from firing properly.

Using the Console Tab

• The console allows you to interact directly with the JavaScript running on the page.
• With Developer Tools open, click on the "Console" tab.
• Type one of the following commands and press Enter:
• If Google Analytics is loaded on the page, the console will return “function”. If it’s not present, it will return “undefined”.

This is a fast, technical trick to confirm that the Analytics JavaScript library has been loaded successfully in the browser.

Method 3: Use a Browser Extension

If you don’t want to dig into code, browser extensions are the easiest and fastest way to see what technologies are running on a website. They overlay information directly in your browser, providing instant answers with a single click.

Recommended Extensions

• Wappalyzer: This is an incredibly popular tool among developers and marketers. It identifies all kinds of software on a website, including analytics tools, content management systems (like WordPress), e-commerce platforms (like Shopify), and more. After installing it, simply visit a website, click the Wappalyzer icon in your toolbar, and it will show you a list of detected technologies. If Google Analytics is there, it will be listed under "Analytics."
• dataslayer: Designed specifically for digital analytics and tag management, dataslayer is a debugging tool that gives you a clean view of what data is being sent. It's particularly useful for checking the specifics of your data layer and Google Tag Manager setups. It works well for both GA4 and Universal Analytics.
• Tag Assistant Legacy (by Google): This was Google’s official tool for years. While it's now in "legacy" status, it's still highly effective for checking Google tags (Analytics, Ads, Tag Manager). After installing, click its icon, enable it for the page, and then refresh. The icon will change colors to indicate the status of your tags: green for good, blue for non-standard but okay, yellow for minor issues, and red for critical errors.

Method 4: Free Online Tools

If you don't want to install anything, you can use a web-based tool. These sites work by crawling a URL you provide and reporting back on the technologies they find.

• BuiltWith: Just enter a website's domain into BuiltWith, and it will give you a comprehensive technology profile, including which analytics and tracking scripts are installed. It's a great tool for a high-level overview.
• GA Checker from gachecker.com: This is a simple, dedicated tool that does one thing well: it scans a website (or even a list of URLs) to find pages with or without the Google Analytics tracking code.

The main limitation of these tools is that they can't access pages behind a login screen or complex web apps that rely heavily on user interaction to load scripts. For those scenarios, one of the browser-based methods is a better choice.

Why Check for Google Analytics?

Knowing how to spot the GA tag is a fundamental skill. You might be:

• Validating your setup: Confirming your new website or landing page is correctly tracking visitors from day one.
• Troubleshooting data issues: Finding out why you aren't seeing traffic or why certain events aren't firing.
• Auditing a client's site: The first step in any analytics project is to verify the existing setup. You may discover duplicate tags or outdated code.
• Competitor research: See if competitors are using Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, or another analytics platform entirely.

Final Thoughts

Verifying a Google Analytics installation is simple once you know where to look. Whether you prefer browsing the source code, using developer tools for a deeper analysis, or grabbing a convenient browser extension for one-click answers, you have multiple ways to get the job done quickly and accurately.

Once you’ve confirmed your tracking is in place, the next challenge is turning all that raw data into clear, actionable insights. With us, that process is simple. We help you connect Google Analytics and all your other sales and marketing data sources in one place. Instead of spending hours in separate platforms or wrestling with spreadsheets, you can use plain English to ask questions, create real-time dashboards, and get instant answers about your performance. You can try Graphed to translate your data into decisions in seconds.